The Hangover Genes

Tips on how to cure that nasty hangover from Marathon Monday.

The morning after Patriots’ Day, many people drag themselves out of bed — or perhaps off the floor — to tend to that oh-so-painful reminder of just how much fun they had the day before.

Headache, vertigo, nausea, sensitivity to light and sound and an overall irritable disposition are some of the various gifts alcohol leaves behind. But, the prospect of waking up with an awful conglomeration of mental and physical symptoms rarely deters those bent on a day and/or night of alcohol-induced merriment.

“A hangover is your body’s way of saying, ‘Don’t do that to me again,’” said Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Professor Joan Salge-Blake, author of “Nutrition & You, Core Concepts for Good Health,” in an email interview.

So for those of you who are experiencing that horrid hangover this morning, here are some things you may not have known about what happens to alcohol once it is in your body and a few tips to help you get through the day.

IF THE GENES FIT

Not everyone experiences a hangover the same way—your genes actually can determine how your body processes alcohol.

“On a genetic level, your response to alcohol consumption can be related to your DNA,” said Assistant Professor of Health Sciences in SAR, Dr. Kee Chan, over email. “Genetic variants in the alcohol-metabolizing enzymes such as alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) play important roles in breaking down the consumed alcohol.”

Chan explained that the enzyme ADH works to convert alcohol to acetaldehyde.  Acetaldehyde is then converted to acetate by the enzyme ALDH.

Eventually, the acetate will be further metabolized to carbon dioxide and water, but variations in each person’s metabolic pathway can affect the rate of conversion.

These variations are caused by genetic differences from person to person and may result in slower or faster metabolism for each one.

“A fast ADH enzyme or a slow ALDH enzyme can cause toxic acetaldehyde to build up in the body,” Chan said. “Thus the toxic effect from alcohol consumption could linger in the body, which may explain why someone may experience a ‘more unpleasant’ hangover or a hangover for a longer period of time than their friend.”

Some students were surprised to hear that genetics could play a role in alcohol metabolism.

“I never realized people could be affected differently due to hangovers,” said Devi Mody, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences.

For all the ladies out there, it is important to note that gender often does play a role in your alcohol tolerance. A woman who has consumed the same amount of alcohol as a man will have a higher concentration of alcohol in her blood because women generally have less body water than men do, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

It is recommended that women consume no more than three drinks and men no more than five within a three-hour period, said Dr. Aaron Michelfelder, a Loyola University Health System family physician in a LiveScience article.

PERSONAL PROBLEMS

Chan noted that personal decisions can impact how severe a hangover is.

“On a personal level, not drinking enough water, not having a balanced level of electrolytes or not having a sufficient level of glucose in your body during alcohol consumption can affect the degree of someone’s hangover,” she said.

These  “uncomfortable physiological effects” could further lead to restless sleep patterns, Chan added. Poor sleep causes the headaches, nausea and that grumpy feeling you get the next morning.

Salge-Blake explained many people wrongly think a drink before bed will help them sleep better, but it actually has the opposite effect.

“Although, having a drink within an hour before bed may help you to fall asleep sooner, it will disrupt your sleep cycle, cause you to awaken in the middle of the night and make returning to sleep a challenge,” she said.

Additionally, if you have a bad night’s sleep, it is not a good idea to drink alcohol the next day.

“Studies have shown that a night of sleep disruption followed by even small amounts of alcohol the next day reduces the reaction time and alertness in individuals performing a simulated driving test,” Salge-Blake said. “Being tired and then drinking alcohol exacerbates alcohol’s sedating effect.”

Salge-Blake said a hangover will begin within hours of your last drink just as your blood alcohol content begins to drop.

“The symptoms will appear in full force once all the alcohol is gone from your blood, and these symptoms can linger for up to an additional 24 hours,” she said. “In other words, a few hours of excessive alcohol consumption on a Saturday night can not only ruin your entire Sunday but even disrupt part of your Monday morning.”

Alcoholic beverages also often contain compounds called congeners, which enhance the taste and appearance of drinks, but also further contribute to hangover symptoms.

“Congeners can be produced during the fermentation process or be added during production of the alcoholic beverages,” Salge-Blake said. “The large number of congeners in red wine can cause headaches in some people.”

SURVIVAL TIPS

Since it is impossible to change your genetic make up, Chan offered a few suggestions as to what a person can do in order to help their hangover symptoms.

“When you know you may be drinking, be hydrated with water or Gatorade for electrolytes and have some food in the stomach,” she said. “If you’re a person who carries the genetic variant for either the fast ADH enzyme or slow ALDH enzyme, to avoid the build up of acetaldehyde in your body, drink less.”

Chan warned those who do not suffer from severe hangovers to still take note of the consequences of drinking alcohol.

“Not having a variant in an alcohol metabolizing gene does not imply that over-consumption in alcohol can lead to no consequences,” she said. “People should not be fooled by their genes and act irresponsibly with drinking even if they don’t have a specific genetic variant.”

Some of these consequences include short-term effects on impaired judgment, mental stability, emotional state and physical health.

“Over time sustained alcohol over-consumption could lead to long-term negative health problems such as heart disease, cancer, and liver disease,” said Chan. “There is no gene that defines personal choice, so always drink responsibly.”